Monday, September 17, 2012

I'm not going to lie. I've bookmarked and pinned a heckuva lot of recipes for antipasto pasta salad. Once, at a tailgate party a friend made something similar to this recipe, and I've wanted to make something like it ever since! Now I have and let me tell you-it was totally worth it!

I think I had about 3 small-ish helpings, and Scott did too last night. Then there was still enough left for lunch this morning. It was absolutely amazing both times. The flavors were great, and we can't think of anything that was missing. Possibly artichoke hearts. But I don't think that will make or break the dish.

This is a recipe where I did buy a "boxed" version of something. I've made Betty Crocker's Simply Salad pasta dishes before, and they're fine. I'm glad I used the Caesar version for this recipe, but I don't feel like this is a "must have" to make the recipe. I think they had you use the Caesar version for a little extra texture. Adding croutons and using rotini pasta I think would work just fine.

I would highly recommend using this for your next get-together or pot-luck. It was incredibly easy and absolutely delicious!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Scott's birthday was on Thursday. Let's just say we were all a little out of it on Friday. Instead of going out and doing anything on Friday night, Scott, our friend Shea, and I just stayed in and watched Act of Valor. Side note-watch this movie! It's absolutely amazing videography and will make you want to hug a member (past or present) of the armed services!

So we were just about to settle in and watch the movie, when Scott looks at me and says "Why don't we have cookies right now?" So I decided to make some since I had almost everything necessary on hand. I made Snickerdooles and Chocolate Chip Cookies. Somehow, something went wrong with the Snickerdooles. They taste okay, but the consistency is all wrong. I know something was wrong even before they went into the oven because I couldn't roll them into balls. It just stuck to my hands! Oh well! The Chocolate Chip Cookies were great--I used half chocolate chip, half peanut butter chips!

Friday, September 14, 2012

When I worked at Perkins, I always remembered the chocolate chocolate chip muffins. I was never a huge fan, but I did want them every once in awhile. I came across this recipe when I just wanted to bake something. I had all the ingredients, so figured, why not? They were a little bit dry, but over all a decent muffin! And it didn't make a ton of muffins! Just 12 regular sized ones-perfect!

Combine flours, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine water, oil, red wine vinegar, vanilla extract and egg in a bowl, stirring well. Stir chocolate chips into the water mixture. Add water mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Place 12 muffin cup liners in muffin cups. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle confectioner's sugar over tops of cooled muffins.

I have made a few pot pie's throughout the course of this blog. Look here, here and here. And I can't say that this one was definitely better than the others, because I remember really liking them. But I can say that this one has instructions for freezing it for up to 3 months. Also, it had the perfect amount of flavor to it!

Chicken Pot Pie

I made this as a homey dinner for Scott and his mom a few weeks ago. Just as delicous as ever!

If cooking right away, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large stock pot, saute the carrots, onion, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the chicken, 1/4 cup cream, parsley, garlic salt and pepper.

Spoon into ungreased 9-inch pie plates. Roll out pastry to fit top of each plate; place over filling. Trim seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. In a small bowl, whisk egg and remining cream, brush over pastry.

Place on baking sheet, and cook in over for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

To freeze, cover in tin foil and seal in large ziploc bag for up to 3 months. To use, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking. Cover edges of crust loosely with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees; remove foil. Bake 55-60 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

When I told Scott I was making Green Bean Casserole, all he could say is "I only like it if it's covered in creamyness and soup like." Even though we overcooked this, it was definitely worth it! It was exactly what we were looking for! And, I bet, if you only cook it for the 4-4-1/2 hours it recommends, it would be even better than what we had! Try it!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

I love clam chowder, but I don't think I've ever made it before. My dad and brother have a great recipe that I have yet to try. I should've taken their advice and doubled the amount of clams in the recipe. This recipe was great but needed just a bit more meat to it! I've changed the amount in my directions below. Now that fall is here, this is a great, simple soup to keep you warm!

In a large stock pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel and set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half and half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in clams and remaining half and half; heat through, but do not boil. Sprinkle bacon over the top when served.

I've never had a waldorf salad before and was kind of worried about this recipe. The ingredients for the dressing were a little scary looking at them by themselves. However, I thought the flavors were excellent! Scott wasn't a huge fan because it was "so hard to eat" with all the little pieces. Next time, I'm going to try them in pita pockets instead of just a salad! You could make this with rotisserie chicken from the supermarket if you don't feel like cooking some nights too!

When I normally think of sweet and sour chicken, it's that super breaded chicken from the Chinese take-out place. This recipe was so much better than that! There is no breading (a little bit of flour to thicken it), and the flavors were awesome! Serve it with some sticky rice an you're all set! I just recently figured out the PERFECT measurements for my rice cooker to get that perfect rice!

I also have to say that I am in love with Rachael Ray Magazine. Every single recipe I've ever made from it has been awesome!

In a small bowl, combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, 2 teaspoons flour, ketchup and ginger. In another bowl, toss the chicken with the remaining 2 teaspoons flour, salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes until crisp-tender. Stir in the pineapple chunks.

Whisk the pineapple juice mixture into the chicken mixture, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice.